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41. "The California Right to Know Genetically Modified Food Act” known as Proposition 37 will require food manufacturers to label food with genetically modified ingredients (GMOs). If the bill passes, it will be the first law in the United States that required GMO labeling. Some European countries already mandate GMO labeling, but efforts to pass legislation in the United States have met resistance. Over a dozen other states have failed to pass proposed labeling laws. Food manufacturer argue that the bill is unnecessary because GMO are safe. They believe labeling will drive up food costs and will confuse consumers. Proponents of the legislation assert that consumers have a right to know what is in their food.
Genetic modification, also called genetic engineering, the alteration of genetic material through processes not found in nature. Scientists use genetically modified organisms to protect crops. add variety to certain foods. Some people believe that the genetic modification of foods effects safety. Corporations that produce genetically modified foods point to hundreds of studies that show that they are safe. California voters will soon make a choice about GMO foods labels, and both sides are spending millions of dollars to influence their decisions. The result of the ballot initiative will reverberate throughout the nation.
How do proponents of Proposition 37 in California hope their efforts will compare to those of advocates of GMO labeling in other states?
44. The World Wildlife Foundation recently reports that the number of monarch butterflies overwintering in Mexico has declined drastically. Although extreme drought conditions have dried up nectar plants monarch butterflies rely on for food. The destruction of their overwintering grounds also poses a considerate threat.
When monarch butterflies arrive in Mexico from Canada and the United States, they converge on oyamel fir trees. The trees provide shelter to monarch butterflies they are also essential to the communities that surround the forests. In the past, residents used the wood for cooking and heating, but recently, they have began to sell it in order to support their livelihoods. As a result of logging oyamel fir trees, the habitat of the monarch butterfly population has shrunk.
In 2008, scientists used satellite imagery to illustrate the degradation of oyamel fir forests. Officials from Canada, Mexico and the United States met to quickly develop a monarch butterfly conservation plan. A key feature of the plan focused on protecting the monarch butterflies’ habitat. Mexico agreed to enforce a ban on logging within the Monarch Biosphere Bio Reserve.
Despite various conversation efforts, including paying landowners for logging rights, the monarch butterfly population continues to decline. There was a 28 percent reduction in numbers of butterflies overwintering in Mexico. If further efforts are not made, some scientist predict the total collapse of the ecosystem that supports monarch butterflies in Mexico.
